THERE was the cash reward that police say he could never pay. The "argument" and the deleted Facebook account. The photograph that was allegedly edited for the missing person's poster before she was even reported missing. The public displays of grief and torment, the extensive appeals for information and the social media campaign juxtaposed with claims he had moved on to other women almost immediately. There were the alleged efforts to interject himself into the police investigation and deflect suspicion onto others, which included two of his associates breaking into a rival's house to search for evidence. The attempts to learn the location that police and the SES would search next, before claiming he couldn't stay and help. The claims of unusual behaviour or comments, like telling a police officer early on during the missing person's case that "you're looking for a dead body". And, perhaps most importantly, there was the information about the crime scene that only the killer would know. This is just some of the circumstantial evidence that Strike Force Karabi detectives claim points to Sayle Kenneth Newson, now 41, of Buff Point on the Central Coast, being the man responsible for murdering his girlfriend of about eight weeks, mother-of-two Carly Dawn McBride, 31, and dumping her body at Owens Gap, west of Scone, on September 30, 2014. Mr Newson, represented by solicitor Mark Ramsland, appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link from jail on Wednesday where he was committed to face a trial for the murder of Ms McBride. He will next appear in Sydney Supreme Court on September 7 where he will be arraigned and formally plead not guilty to murder. Mr Newson's co-accused, James Anthony Cunneen, now 27, had the murder charge against him dropped on Wednesday. In its place, prosecutors laid a charge of accessory after the fact to murder. Detectives had alleged Mr Cunneen engaged in a joint criminal enterprise with Mr Newson to murder Ms McBride, but now say her former boyfriend is solely responsible for her murder while Mr Cunneen helped dump Ms McBride's body. Mr Newson, Ms McBride and Mr Cunneen all met at Dooralong Transformation Centre, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre west of Wyong, in September and October, 2013. They all left the centre at different times and for different reasons, but in early August, 2014, Ms McBride and Mr Newson, a Muay Thai kickboxer who bragged to police about having a 20-0 record, began a relationship. Between that time and Ms McBride's death, Mr Newson would drive her to visit her daughter at her ex-partner's house in Calgaroo Avenue, Muswellbrook on at least five occasions. This was the location she was last seen leaving about 2pm on September 30, 2014. But on September 28, 2014, two days before the couple made their final trip from the Central Coast to Muswellbrook, they allegedly argued about Ms McBride communicating with other men via Facebook. Detectives allege Mr Newson became "jealous and angry" at Ms McBride and late on September 29, a number of searches were made from Mr Newson's laptop, looking for instructions on how to delete a Facebook account. At 11.52pm, Ms McBride's Facebook account vanished. At midday on September 30, the day she disappeared, and during the drive to Muswellbrook, Mr Newson allegedly took a number of photographs of Ms McBride, seated in the front passenger seat of his car. An examination of Mr Newson's phone later allegedly revealed that between 5.17pm and 5.23pm that day, before Ms McBride had been discovered "missing", one of those photographs was rotated into a portrait shape and edited to remove Mr Newson's arm. That photograph would later be used in Mr Newson's Facebook appeals for information. Mr Newson dropped Ms McBride off to visit her daughter at the house in Calgaroo Avenue about 12.30pm. By about 2pm she had left and was walking to meet Mr Newson at Muswellbrook McDonald's. But detectives allege that Mr Newson "intercepted" Ms McBride before she got there and murdered her between 2pm and 5pm, dumping her body in a remote area of bushland near Bunnan Road at Owens Gap, about 17 kilometres north-west of Scone. Detectives say that at about 5pm on September 30, 2014, Mr Newson told someone that Ms McBride was missing. But when he spoke to police he said it wasn't until 6pm, when he drove back to Ms McBride's ex-partner's home, that he first discovered she had disappeared. From there he launched a full-scale search for Ms McBride; contacted her family and the police, knocked on doors along the path she would have taken to McDonald's, searched businesses, canvassed for CCTV, printed missing person's posters, created the 'Held Find Carly McBride' Facebook page, spoke with the media and announced a $10,000 reward. At one point Mr Newson said he hoped to gain further publicity by making a joint appeal with the family of missing boy William Tyrell. Police labelled it a "gross and immediate public overreaction" by Mr Newson and said he couldn't afford to pay the $10,000 reward and made the offer knowing he would never have to. And all the while he professed his love and devotion to Ms McBride. He was the distraught boyfriend who would do anything to have his girlfriend return safe and sound. But after searching through his online history, police say the public grief and torment was a lie and that, almost immediately after Ms McBride disappeared, Mr Newson began contacting women online for sex. After extensive searches, Ms McBride's remains were found on August 7, 2016, nearly two years after her disappearance and death. A post-mortem examination identified significant blunt force trauma to her face and back of her head, which was consistent with at least two blows to the skull and two to her back. Her phone and handbag have never been recovered. When police publicly revealed four days later that Ms McBride's body had been found, Mr Newson contacted a number of people and allegedly "expressed a belief that he would be imminently arrested", detectives say. He also called Ms McBride's father, Steve, allegedly disclosing a piece of information that detectives say only someone with "actual knowledge of the crime scene" would know. Police did arrest and charge Mr Newson. But it wasn't until June 19, 2017. The case against him is entirely circumstantial. There was no blood found in his vehicle, no known witnesses to the crime, no CCTV, no DNA and police don't know where the alleged murder occurred. But they say all signs point to the "concerned" partner who first raised the alarm.

The Carly McBride case: the ex-boyfriend and the evidence

SEARCH: Calgaroo Avenue at Muswellbrook, where Carly McBride was last seen about 2pm on September 30, 2014. Ms McBride's remains were found in bushland at Owens Gap, west of Scone, on August 7, 2016.

ACCUSED: Sayle Kenneth Newson, now 41, is accused of murdering his girlfriend of about eight weeks, mother-of-two Carly Dawn McBride, 31, and dumping her body at Owens Gap, west of Scone, on September 30, 2014. He was committed for trial on Wednesday.

BREAKTHROUGH: Detectives arrest Sayle Kenneth Newson at his Buff Point home on June 19, 2017. On Wednesday he was committed to face a trial for the murder of his girlfriend of less than eight weeks, Carly Dawn McBride. Picture: NSW Police.

THERE was the cash reward that police say he could never pay. The "argument" and the deleted Facebook account. The photograph that was allegedly edited for the missing person's poster before she was even reported missing.

The public displays of grief and torment, the extensive appeals for information and the social media campaign juxtaposed with claims he had moved on to other women almost immediately.

There were the alleged efforts to interject himself into the police investigation and deflect suspicion onto others, which included two of his associates breaking into a rival's house to search for evidence.

The attempts to learn the location that police and the SES would search next, before claiming he couldn't stay and help.

The claims of unusual behaviour or comments, like telling a police officer early on during the missing person's case that "you're looking for a dead body".

And, perhaps most importantly, there was the information about the crime scene that only the killer would know.

This is just some of the circumstantial evidence that Strike Force Karabi detectives claim points to Sayle Kenneth Newson, now 41, of Buff Point on the Central Coast, being the man responsible for murdering his girlfriend of about eight weeks, mother-of-two Carly Dawn McBride, 31, and dumping her body at Owens Gap, west of Scone, on September 30, 2014. Mr Newson, represented by solicitor Mark Ramsland, appeared in Newcastle Local Court via audio visual link from jail on Wednesday where he was committed to face a trial for the murder of Ms McBride.

He will next appear in Sydney Supreme Court on September 7 where he will be arraigned and formally plead not guilty to murder.

Carly McBride’s parents, Lorraine Williams and Steve McBride, speak outside Newcastle courthouse after Sayle Newson was committed for trial and James Cunneen had the murder charge against him dropped. (Turn phone sideways) pic.twitter.com/4Fq0ZiHIdR

Mr Newson's co-accused, James Anthony Cunneen, now 27, had the murder charge against him dropped on Wednesday. In its place, prosecutors laid a charge of accessory after the fact to murder.

Detectives had alleged Mr Cunneen engaged in a joint criminal enterprise with Mr Newson to murder Ms McBride, but now say her former boyfriend is solely responsible for her murder while Mr Cunneen helped dump Ms McBride's body.

Mr Newson, Ms McBride and Mr Cunneen all met at Dooralong Transformation Centre, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre west of Wyong, in September and October, 2013.

They all left the centre at different times and for different reasons, but in early August, 2014, Ms McBride and Mr Newson, a Muay Thai kickboxer who bragged to police about having a 20-0 record, began a relationship.

Between that time and Ms McBride's death, Mr Newson would drive her to visit her daughter at her ex-partner's house in Calgaroo Avenue, Muswellbrook on at least five occasions.

This was the location she was last seen leaving about 2pm on September 30, 2014.

But on September 28, 2014, two days before the couple made their final trip from the Central Coast to Muswellbrook, they allegedly argued about Ms McBride communicating with other men via Facebook.

SEARCH: Calgaroo Avenue at Muswellbrook, where Carly McBride was last seen about 2pm on September 30, 2014. Ms McBride's remains were found in bushland at Owens Gap, west of Scone, on August 7, 2016.

Detectives allege Mr Newson became "jealous and angry" at Ms McBride and late on September 29, a number of searches were made from Mr Newson's laptop, looking for instructions on how to delete a Facebook account.

At 11.52pm, Ms McBride's Facebook account vanished.

At midday on September 30, the day she disappeared, and during the drive to Muswellbrook, Mr Newson allegedly took a number of photographs of Ms McBride, seated in the front passenger seat of his car. An examination of Mr Newson's phone later allegedly revealed that between 5.17pm and 5.23pm that day, before Ms McBride had been discovered "missing", one of those photographs was rotated into a portrait shape and edited to remove Mr Newson's arm.

That photograph would later be used in Mr Newson's Facebook appeals for information. Mr Newson dropped Ms McBride off to visit her daughter at the house in Calgaroo Avenue about 12.30pm. By about 2pm she had left and was walking to meet Mr Newson at Muswellbrook McDonald's.

But detectives allege that Mr Newson "intercepted" Ms McBride before she got there and murdered her between 2pm and 5pm, dumping her body in a remote area of bushland near Bunnan Road at Owens Gap, about 17 kilometres north-west of Scone.

Detectives say that at about 5pm on September 30, 2014, Mr Newson told someone that Ms McBride was missing.

But when he spoke to police he said it wasn't until 6pm, when he drove back to Ms McBride's ex-partner's home, that he first discovered she had disappeared.

From there he launched a full-scale search for Ms McBride; contacted her family and the police, knocked on doors along the path she would have taken to McDonald's, searched businesses, canvassed for CCTV, printed missing person's posters, created the 'Held Find Carly McBride' Facebook page, spoke with the media and announced a $10,000 reward. At one point Mr Newson said he hoped to gain further publicity by making a joint appeal with the family of missing boy William Tyrell. Police labelled it a "gross and immediate public overreaction" by Mr Newson and said he couldn't afford to pay the $10,000 reward and made the offer knowing he would never have to.

And all the while he professed his love and devotion to Ms McBride.

He was the distraught boyfriend who would do anything to have his girlfriend return safe and sound.

But after searching through his online history, police say the public grief and torment was a lie and that, almost immediately after Ms McBride disappeared, Mr Newson began contacting women online for sex.

After extensive searches, Ms McBride's remains were found on August 7, 2016, nearly two years after her disappearance and death.

A post-mortem examination identified significant blunt force trauma to her face and back of her head, which was consistent with at least two blows to the skull and two to her back.

Her phone and handbag have never been recovered.

When police publicly revealed four days later that Ms McBride's body had been found, Mr Newson contacted a number of people and allegedly "expressed a belief that he would be imminently arrested", detectives say.

He also called Ms McBride's father, Steve, allegedly disclosing a piece of information that detectives say only someone with "actual knowledge of the crime scene" would know.

Police did arrest and charge Mr Newson. But it wasn't until June 19, 2017.

The case against him is entirely circumstantial.

BREAKTHROUGH: Detectives arrest Sayle Kenneth Newson at his Buff Point home on June 19, 2017. On Wednesday he was committed to face a trial for the murder of his girlfriend of less than eight weeks, Carly Dawn McBride. Picture: NSW Police.

There was no blood found in his vehicle, no known witnesses to the crime, no CCTV, no DNA and police don't know where the alleged murder occurred.

But they say all signs point to the "concerned" partner who first raised the alarm.